‘Yes,’ I agreed. ‘You have.’
‘Can we go home now, Mummy?’ Hayley asked in a small voice.
‘Yes, of course, we’ll go now.’
I offered to take them home in the car – they lived about two miles away – but Catherine said they would be all right on the bus, so I saw them to the door. Catherine thanked me again for looking after Hayley, and then said that if ever I saw them in the town would I please not mention what had happened, as she was so embarrassed. I reassured her I wouldn’t and I wished them well for the future. I knew that if Catherine and her husband were divorcing then she’d have a lot of sorting out and adjusting to do, but I also knew she wouldn’t make the same mistake again. Having the police involved, and her daughter taken into care, even though it was only for a day, had obviously shocked her deeply. Hopefully some good would come out of it, for sometimes we need a jolt to allow us to re-evaluate our lives and see what really matters.
I stood for a few moments at the front door after they’d gone, aware of the fresh, slightly autumnal air. The sun had set, the birds had gone to bed and the night was still. Most people were home now and only the occasional car passed. A lone dog barked in the distance. For tonight, at least, it seemed that my spare room would remain empty, although I knew it wouldn’t be long before another child arrived. Somewhere out there, maybe not far away, was another family in crisis, with a child or children who would shortly need foster care. Perhaps it would be the child of someone like Laura, who was ill but didn’t have a family network to help her through. Or maybe someone like Shelley, who had no parents, or someone like Catherine, whose error of judgement had unintentionally placed her child at risk of harm. Or possibly the next child I fostered could be someone like Samson, who would be part of my family long term and would need firm and consistent boundaries as well as love, care and attention. Or maybe, and most upsettingly, it would be a badly abused or neglected child, when I would put on a brave face as I bathed their bruises and reassured them they were safe, and then later in the solitude of my bedroom I would cry myself to sleep. I didn’t know who my next child would be, but for tonight at least I felt satisfied that I’d done my best for the children I’d looked after – Darrel, Samson, Hayley and even little Elspeth. They were all home now with their families, and Laura was with hers. And for a foster carer there’s no better ending than that.
Epilogue
Laura continued to make good progress, and Kim and baby Liam flourished. I saw them regularly on the way to and from school and sometimes we got together with other mums for a coffee. Laura didn’t have any more setbacks and at the end of twelve months the social services ended their monitoring, although Laura still attended a support group where she’d made friends. I saw Gina a couple of times when she visited and we always had a good chat. I also saw Geraldine if she was helping out and collecting Kim from school. She just about managed a small nod in my direction, but then that’s Geraldine. Her heart is in the right place, and it wouldn’t do if we were all the same.
Adrian, Paula and I went to see Shelley sing with her choir at their Christmas concert, and it was beautiful. The hall was gaily decorated for Christmas with garlands and a tall tree that glittered with silver lights. The singing was perfect, ethereal, a choir from heaven. The songs were a mixture of traditional Christmas carols and popular children’s Christmas songs, some of which the audience were invited to join in with. During the concert we saw Darrel sitting with another family and I rather guessed it might be Carol. After the concert the audience could mingle while enjoying a drink and a mince pie, which gave Shelley the chance to introduce us to Carol and her adult children. I immediately warmed to them and Carol said they were all looking forward to having Shelley and Darrel at Christmas. Shelley also introduced us to her young man, Michael, and his parents, although I’d already guessed who he might be from the way he kept looking at Shelley while they were singing. He came across as a charming, sincere person who clearly thought the world of her, as did his parents. He also appeared caring of and committed to Darrel, which was so important. I didn’t ask if I could expect to hear wedding bells soon, but I wouldn’t be surprised, and Shelley deserved happiness and security after her unsettled early life. Adrian and I were still humming Brahms’s ‘Lullaby’ at night sometimes and Paula was picking up the tune too.
The next time Samson needed respite care I was already fostering another child and didn’t have the room, so he had to stay with a different carer. It was a pity, and it cemented the plans John and I had previously discussed in respect of extending the back of the house to create more room downstairs and another bedroom upstairs. The matchbox Samson had so carefully placed under the plant pot by the shed stayed there all winter, as I didn’t have the heart to throw it away – the little reminder of Samson and his pet bed bug Bruce!
John’s homecoming was delayed again and he finally arrived home in the middle of October, in time to attend my degree award ceremony. Unfortunately, a week later he had to work away again, but that’s another story. So, too, is the story of the child I’m looking after now, who like all the other children I’ve fostered is being so brave and trying not to cry. A true little hero. But then they all are, and I admire them greatly.
For the latest updates on these children and those in my other fostering memoirs, please visit www.cathyglass.co.uk.
Suggested topics for reading-group discussion
What were the reasons for Geraldine and Andy not consulting a doctor earlier when it became clear Laura was unwell?
Can there ever be any justification for not consulting a doctor about a mental-health issue?
Is there still a stigma attached to mental illness? If so, why do you think this is? What could be done to change this?
Cathy is very careful when dealing with Laura’s family not to cross the boundary between being friendly and neighbourly and being intrusive and nosey. Does she get it right or should she have intervened earlier and alerted the social services?
Do you think Cathy, as a foster carer, reacts differently to Laura’s situation than perhaps the average person might?
Shelley tells Cathy that she is not introducing her boyfriend, Michael, to her son Darrel until she is ‘completely sure of him’. What do you think she means by this, and what might her reasons be?
Based on what you know, was the social worker’s decision to apply to court for a Care Order for Samson the correct one? Why? If you had been the judge would you have refused or granted the Care Order? What extra support could have been given to the family?
The update on Cathy’s website, www.cathyglass.co.uk, shows that Samson became his gran’s carer until she died. Does knowing this change your view as to whether or not Samson should have been returned home as a child?
It could be said that Catherine, who was drunk in charge of a child, was treated harshly by the law. Do you think arresting her was the correct action? Were there any alternatives?
The ending of the book gives satisfactory resolutions for all those involved. Is there any other information you would have liked to see included?
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Cathy Glass, The Silent Cry
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